The well-known Jersey breeder is honoured for his leadership in advancing the Canadian dairy industry.

Gary Bowers is the 2024 recipient of the Lactanet Canada Dairy Cattle Improvement Industry Distinction Award.

In a release, Lactanet board chair Barbara Paquet said Bowers “is most deserving of this prestigious industry award. He is an exceptional leader and mentor that has driven progressive and positive changes in the Canadian dairy cattle improvement industry over the years.”

“He strongly believes in the value and importance of all breed improvement programs and actively promoted them.”

Bowers has served as an official judge for multiple breeds in various countries, and has been “a true ambassador of Canadian genetics nationally and internationally,” the Lactanet release said.

He has held leadership roles on multiple committees and boards of directors over nearly 40 years in the dairy cattle improvement industry, in roles from Jersey Québec and the Québec Dairy Breeds Council to Jersey Canada, Ciaq, Semex Alliance, Canadian Dairy Network and Dairy Farmers of Canada.

As Jersey Canada’s representative, Bowers played a pivotal role in the 2005 establishment of the Multi-Breed Classification Program. His involvement at Ciaq and Semex led to significant efficiencies in bull housing as well as semen production and distribution within the Semex family of companies, the news release said.

During his 10-year mandate on the dairy network board of directors, Lactanet said Bowers’ leadership and vision led to the rapid adoption of genomic evaluations in 2009 and development of Pro$ in 2015 as Canada’s profit-based economic index. He also laid the groundwork for the eventual partnership between the dairy network, CanWest DHI and Valacta for the creation of Lactanet in 2019.

As the dairy network representative on DFC’s board of directors, Bowers was named to the proAction Committee and was chair of the sub-committee focused on development and introduction of the biosecurity module. He also had a major influence in the 2020 creation of DairyTrace as Canada’s national dairy cattle traceability program.